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This article was published in 1960
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INSTITUTE OF INSPECTORS OF STOCK OF N.S.W. YEAR BOOK.
Livestock Transportation
PRACTICAL ASPECTS
D. V. SELICK, Asst. Goods Trains Superintendent, Government Railways, N.S.W.
In railway transportation, as in other forms of transport the guiding principle is the shortest possible time of journey between loading station and destination; and this principle is particularly applicable to the transport of livestock. The New South Wales Railways cover a route mileage of 6,103 miles, and livestock, either in small consignments or full train loads, is constantly moving over the vast area of the State.
In order to maintain a strict control over the supply and distribution of livestock wagons, all orders to load wagons are placed with the Livestock Superintendent who has absolute control over the acceptance of orders.
Orders for livestock trucks are accepted in the following order:—
(a) Fats for market.
(b) Other full rate stock.
(e) Forward starvers.
(d) Restockers and return starvers.
Freight rebates are allowed on forward starvers of 50 per cent. subject to necessary declaration and certificate from the District Veterinary Inspector; whilst the rebate on restockers and return starvers is 20 per cent. in train loads of not less than 25 trucks, and 10 per cent. in smaller quantities, subject to the owner using rail facilities for his goods where practicable.
Orders will not be accepted for stock at restocking concession rates to stations within 50 miles of a recognised Fat Stock Market; such as Flemington (N.S.W.), Newmarket (Victoria) and Cannon Hill (Queensland). (50 miles air line).
The Department has a fleet of 1307 sheep vans and 1176 cattle wagons. These include 35 old type bogie cattle wagons, 59 new type bogie sheep vans and 35 new type bogie cattle wagons. The new type bogle stock wagons are part of an order for 100 each of sheep vans and wagons and have roller type bearings with passenger under frames, and are designed for high speed travel.
Wagons under repairs average approximately 10 per cent. of the total number and comprise normal repairs such as wheel change, axle box attention, broken floor boards, damaged doors, door pins, ends stove in or sides damaged.
For the year ending 30th June, 1959, a total of 135,936 trucks of stock was loaded; divided into 70,834 sheep vans and 65,102 cattle wagons. Of these, 20,772 sheep vans and 16,169 cattle wagons were conveyed to Flemington; containing 2,173,809 sheep and 193,394 cattle respectively. It is interesting to note that the percentage of dead and crippled sheep for the year was 0.35 per cent. and cattle 0.22 per cent.; notwithstanding that some of the livestock were conveyed distances of over 500 miles.
In periods of severe drought it has been found necessary to use open trucks of the "K" type for cattle and of the "S" for sheep. The last big movement of this kind was during August - November, 1958 when 21,836 cattle were moved from the North-West to Southern stations in the Riverina and Victoria; 891 "K" trucks being used.
In addition to the transport of livestock to Flemington Saleyards, the intra-district and cross-country stock trains comprise a large proportion of our business. Seasonal conditions govern the movement of starving stock and market conditions that of restockers, but there are many transfer movements by large owners and pastoral companies.
Regular fortnightly or monthly sales are conducted in large country towns such as Wagga, Cootamundra, Griffith, Dubbo, Trangie, Coonamble, Moree, Narrabri, Gunnedah, Tamworth, Armidale, Grafton, Walgett and at places not on rail - Come by Chance and Nowendoc are examples. These are mostly open destination sales, more of which later.
Large spring and autumn sales are regular features at such places as Trangie 150 vans; South Grafton (two sales cattle) - approximately 300 wagons; West Tamworth - 200 vans. In each instance the sheep or cattle are brought by rail from other districts and could load after sale to any place within the State.
Special movements are prepared for the Easter Show, Sydney Sheep Show and Bloodstock Sales. Special trains are run for these events and the exhibits for the 1960 Royal Easter Show from Victoria, South Australia and Southern stations of New South Wales were conveyed by special train on Friday, 1st April; departing Albury at 9.20 a.m. and due Darling Harbour at 12.36 a.m., hauled by a diesel engine, all bogie vans. The speed was limited to 45 miles per hour, due to the fact that the vans were in some cases very lightly loaded and excessive speed would have tendered to injure the animals. This reduced the running time of the train by approximately four hours.
LOADING OF STOCK
Single sheep vans are divided in two decks, upper and lower; whilst the upper and lower decks of bogie sheep vans are each divided into two compartments. Bogie cattle wagons are divided by one partition in the centre of the truck. Pigs and calves are loaded into sheep vans; sheep can be loaded in cattle wagons but cattle cannot be loaded into sheep vans.
Departmental stock yards are provided at nearly all stations and sidings and the size varies in accordance with the number of stock loaded in the various sections. Portable races are provided for use at certain stations where there are no stockyards. Cattle and sheep are sometimes unloaded on to the platforms at non-stockyard stations, whilst the train waits.
Each stockyard usually contains separate sheep and cattle races, forcing chutes and drafting pens. In many instances water and electric light are provided; either by the Department or other interested parties in conjunction with the Department. Ramps for the loading or unloading of stock from motor vehicles are built at certain yards, but these are not provided by the Department; the Commissioner usually providing the material and interested parties the labour. The races and ramps of new stockyards are built in concrete and steel and this policy is carried out also in repairs to or renewal of existing yards.
The normal holding capacity of a single sheep van is 100 sheep and the new type bogie, 200 sheep. Single cattle wagons usually carry 10 to 12 head of cattle; or the new bogie cattle wagons, 20 cattle.
The actual capacity of the vans is governed by the size and condition of the animals being loaded. Overloading and underloading both tend to cause injury to the animals whilst in transit. The overloading of cattle can have the most disastrous results if cattle get down in a crowded truck they have less chance of regaining their feet than if in a reasonably loaded truck. Overloading of sheep has a "jamming" effect by crowding to one end of the truck during the stopping or starting of a train or when the train is traversing, descending or ascending grades; thus smothering some of the animals.
Examples of what may be considered reasonable loading are:—
Wethers-well-grown, prime — 8 months off shears — 90.
Wethers — small fat — 2 months off shears — 105/108.
Grown wethers — extra big, prime condition — 3 months off shears — 88/90.
Lambs 9 months — prime, well grown — 128/130.
The attention to livestock whilst in transit is an important feature and the employment of drovers by the owners or agents is always encouraged by the Department, so much so that concession tickets are issued to drovers accompanying one or two trucks; with free drover's passes to accompany three or more, to the following scale:—
For 3 full trucks — One pass — one or more owners may combine to obtain a pass.
For 11 full trucks — Two passes.
For 25 full trucks — Three passes.
Where drovers are not provided by owners, standing directions provide for railway staff to give necessary attention en route as opportunity occurs.
Long hauls of stock are a regular feature and it is not unusual for cattle from Queensland to be railed at Boggabilla or Mungindi for transport to Tocumwal, a maximum distance of 844 miles. If the stock are in poor condition arrangements are made for "spelling" en route, although when stock are in good condition most owners prefer a through run to destination.
A contractor is available for spelling stock at Flemington and at other points the spelling is arranged by the owner or his agent.
Sheep suffering from Footrot are not accepted for transit to Flemington, but must be conveyed only to Abattoirs Siding; and then only when certified by the District Veterinary Inspector be for immediate slaughter and the trucks are specially fumigated; a fee of 6/- per truck being charged.
STOCK TRAINS
The running of a Fast Stock train receives preference over all other trains, excepting Express, Mail, Passenger and Fast Fruit Trains.
The trains are tabled at a special speed, with restricted tonnage and a limited number of vehicles on each train.
The minimum number of trucks required before a train is run at fast stock speed is 19 trucks on the Up Journey (towards Sydney) and 18 trucks on the Down Journey. The minimum requirements for cross-country trains are 16 trucks.
In the preparation of the Working Timetables for each Division, provision is made for timetables for Fast Stock trains from each line,e.g. on the North-West Branches beyond Narrabri, West trains are tabled from Walgett and Pokataroo to amalgamate at Burren Junction, thence through to destination. Other trains are tabled from Mungindi, Boggabilla and Inverell to amalgamate at Moree with Moree stock and thence through. This also applies on the Southern and Western lines; through trains being run from Junee, Cootamundra, Dubbo and Orange. In the event of sufficient stock offering from any given station, the fast stock train is run direct from that station.
Normally Fat Stock Sales are held at Flemington on Mondays and Thursdays and livestock destined for these sales is loaded in the country on Saturdays for Monday and on Tuesdays / Wednesdays for Thursdays sale; the day of loading depending on the distance from the market.
The arrangements for the running of Fast Stock trains are made by officers in each country District Superintendent's office and special lists are prepared giving details of the loading and destination stations. These are printed and distributed at least two (2) days prior to the running of the train, so that agents and loaders may be informed of transit and time that stock is required to load. Alterations to original orders by cancellation, change of destination station and deferment to a later date are frequent and these are advised on later lists or by telegram to the station concerned. Failures to load are brought about by wet weather, particularly in the black soil areas where it is practically impossible to move livestock by land or road vehicle after a medium fall of rain.
In many instances it is not known what stock will actually load until the day that the train is to run and heavy cancellations on the day of running can cause the complete reorganisation of the stock programme.
In the listing of stock for the various trains the object is to keep stock for the one destination on one train, but due to the extension of Country Abattoirs and Fat Stock markets in the larger provincial cities, this is not always possible and it is not unusual for a train from the Coonamble line to convey stock for Orange, Blayney, Auburn and Flemington. Likewise, trains from the North may off load at Farley, Waratah and Gosford, with the balance of the load for Flemington. When this is done the trucks to be detached at intermediate stations are marshalled on the lead of the train to avoid moving the balance of the train whilst detaching.
It is not proposed to give you the whole of the restricted loads applicable to Fast Stock trains, but the following examples will illustrate the difference between Fast stock trains and ordinary goods trains.
Junee to Flemington. Fast Stock. 750 tons hauled by 57 class engine.
Junee to Moss Vale. Goods. 1,000 tons hauled by 57 class engine.
Moss Vale to Enfield, Goods. 1,500 tons hauled by 57 class engine.
Orange to Lithgow. Fast Stock. 500 tons hauled by 50 class engine.
Orange to Lithgow, Goods. 640 to 810 tons hauled by 50 class engine.
Lithgow to Flemington. Fast Stock. 500 to 750 tons hauled by electric engine.
Lithgow to Enfield, Goods. 1,100 tons hauled by electric engine.
Orders for vans are accepted from agents at country selling centres to "open" destination, which means that a firm order is accepted for a number of trucks to be loaded to any destination on day of sale or next day. The actual destinations are not known until completion of sale and trucks may be destined for stations in opposite directions or even on branch lines, but provision has to be made for trains to run in each direction. This is an interesting train working problem that requires considerable judgment to accomplish.
One constant source of delay to stock trains is animals down in trucks and these must be attended to en route, either by drovers, agents or departmental employees.
When serious delay is foreseen the trucks are detached and attended to by an agent, as it is unreasonable to prejudice the "on time" arrival of other consignments, whilst attending to the animals that are down in one truck.
Constant supervision is exercised over the actual running of Fast Stock trains by the Assistant Superintendent and Inspectors of the district concerned. One important factor in ensuring a smooth ride for the stock is that all couplings between trucks be tightened to their full extent.
The use of diesel electric engines to haul Fast Stock trains has reduced considerably the journey time of the trains. Smaller branch-line diesels are now in use in the North-West beyond Werris Creek and this has enabled time of journey from such stations as Mungindi and Boggabilla to be reduced by over two (2) hours between those stations and Werris Creek. The new bogie wagons now coming into use will permit of much faster speeds and a trial run is being made about mid-April 1960 from Dubbo to Flemington with a 550 ton load of bogie vehicles, which will run at close to passenger train speed.